HealeyBadger release ‘Out here in the Blue’ on 28th August, and they waste little time getting it moving. Fast, catchy and slightly unruly, the Manchester duo take the feeling of being overwhelmed by a volatile world and turn it into something with enough momentum to make all that overthinking surprisingly fun.
The song is restless by design. Stress, second-guessing, anger and disconnection tumble over each other, while the repeated images of rolling, twisting and turning give the writing the same breathless quality as the music. Rather than settling neatly into familiar pop, it has a quirky character that helps it stick out immediately.
When everything starts moving too fast
HealeyBadger build the song around that uncomfortable feeling of never quite finding your footing. The opening image of a world gone mad quickly gives way to over-stressing and second-guessing, before the chorus turns all of that agitation into a hook built around being tossed around by circumstances you cannot properly control.
There is plenty going on beneath the bounce. The lyrics move through strained friendships, rage, social pressure and the sense of being disconnected from people around you, while the wider idea asks for a little more awareness of how our behaviour affects others. It is a heavier thought than the sheer pace initially suggests.
That contrast is where the song becomes especially enjoyable. HealeyBadger do not respond to anxiety by slowing everything down and staring at it. Instead, ‘Out here in the Blue’ keeps charging ahead, allowing the repeated phrases and quick movement to mimic a brain that has far too much happening at once.
The duo recorded the track at home with Don Whiteford on bass and Tom Baston on drums, giving the core piano-and-guitar partnership a fuller band push. Joel Harries handled the mix and Stephen Kerrison mastered the track, while the rhythm section helps give all that nervous energy somewhere physical to go.
The repeated “rolling” and “twisting turning” phrases are particularly effective because they become almost compulsive as the song gathers pace. They are simple enough to grab quickly, but their repetition also reinforces the feeling of being caught in the same thoughts and reactions without finding an obvious way out.
‘Out here in the Blue’ is also set to form part of HealeyBadger’s first EP or album of the same name, which they hope to release by the end of the year. They are also due to perform at Prohibition Studios in Liverpool on 2nd October, giving this increasingly energetic phase of the duo somewhere to spill onto a stage.
‘Out here in the Blue’ Review
‘Out here in the Blue’ is at its best when it sounds as though it might trip over its own momentum but somehow keeps racing forward. The pace is high, the chorus is immediate and the repeated lyrical turns make the song feel enjoyably wired. There is a distinctive looseness to it that stops the track sounding overly polished or predictable, and that slight oddness gives HealeyBadger plenty of personality.
It is also simply a lot of fun. The subject may come from frustration and overload, but HealeyBadger turn those feelings into a catchy pop groove that is far more likely to make you move than sit quietly worrying about the state of the world. If this is the energy carrying into Out here in the Blue, their first larger release should be an interesting one.
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